Week 5 Assignment: Theory ApplicationDue: Sun Nov 9, 2025 11:59pm11/9/2025Ungraded, 200 Possible Points200 Points Possible
Assignment Overview
Applying a particular theoretical approach to a case is always part of a larger context. Who are the clients you are serving? What are the characteristics of the environment in which you work? Given that, what theoretical framework will work best? Do you need flexibility, or a laser-sharp focus? In this assignment, you will have an opportunity to answer those questions. Do careful research and support your conclusions with relevant evidence.
By successfully completing this assignment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following CSWE EPAS competencies and behaviors:
- CSWE EPAS Competency 4: Engage in practice-informed research and research-informed practice.
- C4.GP.B: Identify ethical, culturally informed, anti-racist, and anti-oppressive strategies that address inherent biases for use in quantitative and qualitative research methods to advance the purposes of social work.
- Related assignment criterion:
- Explain the key components of ecological systems theory to apply to the assessment, intervention, and evaluation of a chosen case study.
- Related assignment criterion:
- C4.GP.B: Identify ethical, culturally informed, anti-racist, and anti-oppressive strategies that address inherent biases for use in quantitative and qualitative research methods to advance the purposes of social work.
- CSWE EPAS Competency 6: Engage with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
- C6.GP.A: Apply knowledge of human behavior and person-in-environment, as well as interprofessional conceptual frameworks, to engage with clients and constituencies.
- Related assignment criteria:
- Describe the benefits of an ecological systems perspective within the context of personal social work practice.
- Related assignment criteria:
- C6.GP.A: Apply knowledge of human behavior and person-in-environment, as well as interprofessional conceptual frameworks, to engage with clients and constituencies.
- CSWE EPAS Competency 7: Assess individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
- C7.GP.A: Apply theories of human behavior and person-in-environment, as well as other culturally responsive and interprofessional conceptual frameworks, when assessing clients and constituencies.
- Related assignment criteria:
- Assess a chosen character from the person-in-environment perspective.
- Related assignment criteria:
- C7.GP.A: Apply theories of human behavior and person-in-environment, as well as other culturally responsive and interprofessional conceptual frameworks, when assessing clients and constituencies.
- CSWE EPAS Competency 8: Intervene with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
- C8.GP.B: Incorporate culturally responsive methods to negotiate, mediate, and advocate with and on behalf of clients and constituencies.
- Related assignment criteria:
- Describe an intervention based on ecological systems theory that is applicable and relevant to a chosen character.
- Related assignment criteria:
- C8.GP.B: Incorporate culturally responsive methods to negotiate, mediate, and advocate with and on behalf of clients and constituencies.
- CSWE EPAS Competency 9: Evaluate practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
- C9.GP.A: Select and use culturally responsive methods for evaluation of outcomes.
- Related assignment criteria:
- Evaluate a chosen intervention.
- Related assignment criteria:
- C9.GP.A: Select and use culturally responsive methods for evaluation of outcomes.
Assignment Description
In the Week 3 assignment, you identified and analyzed a specific developmental theory to apply to a case study from a chosen film. In this assignment, you will build on the work you have done by analyzing ecological systems theory and deciding on an actual application from a person-in-environment perspective. As with last time, it is vital to support the application of your chosen theory with scholarly research in the Capella library. See the Social Work Masters Library Research GuideLinks to an external site. for help finding sources.
Assignment Instructions
Make sure that you are introducing your chosen character and provide an explanation of their presenting problem from your chosen case study.
The bullet points below correspond to grading criteria in the scoring guide. You may also want to read the scoring guide to better understand the performance levels that relate to each grading criterion. For this assignment, complete the following:
- Explain the key components of ecological systems theory to apply to the assessment, intervention, and evaluation of your chosen case study.
- Which aspects ecological systems theory are the most applicable and relevant to your chosen case study?
- How can ecological systems theory be integrated into assessment, intervention, and evaluation for your chosen character from the case study?
- Make sure you cite appropriate and relevant scholarly and professional resources to support your explanation.
- Assess the chosen character from the person-in-environment perspective.
- For a person-in-environment perspective, you might want to ask yourself the following questions.
- What systems provide the client support?
- What systems may be hindering the client?
- Systems to consider include family, friends, work, social services, politics, religion, goods and services, and educational systems.
- Include your chosen character’s intersectionality in your assessment.
- For a person-in-environment perspective, you might want to ask yourself the following questions.
- Describe an intervention based on ecological systems theory that is applicable and relevant to the chosen character.
- Discuss two short-term and two long-term goals for the client by applying systems theory to contextualize the appropriateness of your chosen intervention.
- Consider how to make the intervention appropriate for diverse clients.
- Make sure you cite appropriate and relevant scholarly and professional resources to support your intervention.
- Evaluate the chosen intervention.
- Evaluate the strengths and limitations of the intervention from an ecological systems perspective.
- Describe the benefits of an ecological systems perspective within the context of personal social work practice.
- Note how this perspective can guide social work practice when engaging with diverse individuals and families.
- Communicate in a manner that is scholarly, professional, and consistent with expectations for members of the social work profession.
Additional Requirements
The assignment you submit is expected to meet the following requirements:
- Written communication: Written communication is free of errors that detract from the overall message.
- APA formatting: Resources and citations are formatted according to current APA style and formatting. Visit the Writing CenterLinks to an external site. for help with APA.
- Cited resources: A minimum of three scholarly sources. Most literature cited should be current, with publication dates within the past five years.
- Length of paper: A minimum of four typed, double-spaced pages.
- Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12 point.
- Due date: The assignment must be submitted to your instructor in the courseroom by the end of this week.
Competencies Measured
By successfully completing this assignment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and rubric criteria:
- Competency 1: Identify ethical, culturally informed, anti-racist, and anti-oppressive strategies that address inherent biases for use in quantitative and qualitative research methods to advance the purposes of social work. (C4.GP.B)
- Explain the key components of ecological systems theory to apply to the assessment, intervention, and evaluation of a chosen case study. (C4.GP.B)
- Describe the benefits of an ecological systems perspective within the context of personal social work practice. (C6.GP.A)
- Competency 3: Apply theories of human behavior and person-in-environment, as well as other culturally responsive and interprofessional conceptual frameworks, when assessing clients and constituencies. (C7.GP.A)
- Assess a chosen character from the person-in-environment perspective. (C7.GP.A)
- Competency 4: Incorporate culturally responsive methods to negotiate, mediate, and advocate with and on behalf of clients and constituencies. (C8.GP.B)
- Describe an intervention based on ecological systems theory that is applicable and relevant to a chosen character. (C8.GP.B)
- Competency 5: Select and use culturally responsive methods for evaluation of outcomes. (C9.GP.A)
- Evaluate a chosen intervention. (C9.GP.A)
- Competency 6: Communicate in a manner that is scholarly, professional, and consistent with expectations for members of the social work profession.
- Communicate in a manner that is scholarly, professional, and consistent with expectations for members of the social work profession.
